Andy Frost, Perfect Posture Stool in Tan (Furniture)

This is a fitted and made to measure stool in African mahogany from an urban tree removal. The seat is reinforced with two hardwood splines set flush into the underside. The leg-seat joint is a stepped dowel mortise and tenon, glued and wedged. The attached image showing this joint is the same one I used in my other entry (....Stool in Black) . The joints and splines in the stools are identical. This joint has such strength as to render bracing rungs unnecessary. Just as our shoes must fit our feet well, so, I believe our seats should fit our bodies and be designed to sound ergonomic principles.The seat slopes forward at an angle of 7 degrees to the horizontal.This slope lowers the knees and thighs relative to the hips, preserving the lordosis ( natural reverse curve in the lower back ). The upper body is thus allowed to come forward slightly, into perfect balance over the pelvis and buttocks, much reducing the need for back support. When we sit in a horizontal or backward sloping seat our upper body is pushed backwards and demands support as balance is lost. The balanced posture achieved in this design is perfect for office-desk work. The need for correct keyboard and screen height is still essential. Correct balanced posture for meditation comes naturally to the sitter in one of these stools, avoiding the strain that sitting cross-legged puts on the knees of we oldies. This design makes standing from a sitting position easier as the upper body is already raised ( by approx. 50mm ) relative to the knees. Seat height is set so that the feet lie flat on the floor.The carefully shaped holes in the seat bottom relieve pressure on the sit-bones and, along with the shallow grooved gouge work across the seat, help engage the buttocks with the sloping seat surface to prevent any tendency to slide forward. That grooving is unnoticed by the sitter, all high points being sanded down. Clients using my stools report freedom from previous back pain even during long work days at the desk. My ergonomic stool and chair designs are the result of over five years of research and trial and error. i was much inspired by my own ongoing battle with chronic back pain. My design priorities are simplicity, functionality, beauty, and strength. I provide a lifetime warranty with my stools and chairs. They are built to outlive generations.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.